Cohen's plan to close more bases draws fire

Eric Rosenberg, EXAMINER WASHINGTON BUREAU

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, May 7, 1997

1997-05-07 04:00:00 PDT UNITED STATES -- WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William Cohen's intention to close more military bases and divert the savings to buy new high-tech weapons is getting an angry reception on Capitol Hill.

"We have not . . . been able to reduce the size of the defense infrastructure in proportion to the size of the force," Skelton said. "I am very doubtful Congress will approve another round of base closures in the near future."

The first clues about which bases might be targeted will emerge later this month when Cohen sends to Congress a long-range assessment of military strategy and weapons needs.

Cohen wants Congress to approve two separate sets of closures in 1999 and 2001 on top of the 97 sites ordered shut down in recent years, Pentagon sources said.

For the four previous rounds of base closures that began in 1988, lawmakers assigned responsibility for devising the lists to a nonpartisan Base Closure and Realignment Commission. Congress, given the option of voting each entire list up or down, went along with all the 97 recommended shutdowns or realignments in four rounds of closures.

The commission has gone out of existence, and congressional opponents of more closings can be counted on to fight its resurrection.

Many of the Bay Area's military installations - including the Presidio, Navy facilities at Alameda, Mare Island, Hunters Point and Treasure Island, and the Oakland Army Base were shut as a result of the closures recommended by the commission.

Although no individual installations have been earmarked for future closures, California likely would be little affected by future base closings because virtually all of the military installations that survived previous closures are considered valuable.

For example, Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield is one of two major air transport bases in the West. The Navy is focusing much of its West Coast muscle in San Diego, while Fort Irwin near Barstow is the Army's main training base for desert warfare.

Camp Pendleton in Oceanside houses the Marine Corps' major expeditionary troops on the West Coast. Vandenberg Air Force Base near Santa Barbara continues to be a major satellite launch center. Beale Air Force Base in Marysville is home to reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering craft.

But among possible California targets: Moffett Field Air Guard Station in Mountain View, the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego and the North Highlands, Sacramento County, Guard Station.

Bacon said that the net savings from the previous closures total $14billion.&lt;

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